homecoming
by Little Blue Owl
Summary: "It takes less than two minutes for Kairi to start fussing over them" - When Sora and Riku get back to the islands, it takes some adjusting. They help each other through it - Cross-posted on AO3


AN: This was a labor of love that was supposed to be a piece of a short collection, but spun wildly out of control. I really adore the ending of KH2 and I wanted to write about what it's like for Sora and Riku to adjust to living regularly again in the time before that message in a bottle arrives before KH3D. I hope you enjoy this!

It takes less than two minutes for Kairi to start fussing over them.

"You're okay, right?" she asks, flitting around him anxiously, checking for injuries. "Still in one piece?"

"I'm fine," Sora answers honestly, because with a little time the bruises and it's will heal just like new. Riku, on the other hand...

"I'm, um..." Riku starts awkwardly, gingerly touching the ribs on his left side and wincing in pain. "I think I broke a few things."

Kairi runs over to help him out of the water, shouldering him on his uninjured side. "We'll have to get you to a doctor when we- oh no." She turned the the other four, panic on her face. "How do we get back home? Like home-home?"

Mickey gives her a reassuring look, which, despite not knowing him for long, Sora knows is comforting in a way only he can deliver. "Don't worry about it! We'll take care of it!" he says, and Goofy and Donald nod enthusiastically behind him before setting to work.

It's kind of funny how they end up taking a raft to go home, when they once tried to use one to leave. While Mickey and the others worked, Kairi props up Riku's head on her lap and Sora tries to work healing magic on him. It doesn't do too much good, though. Even here, where he has easier access to light magic and potions, broken bones aren't a simple fix.

Riku keeps wincing when Sora gently touches his ribs, and Sora feels guilty for more than just that. "Sorry!"

Riku shakes his head, eyes squinted shut in pain. "It's not your fault. I jumped in front of Xemnas and took that hit."

Of course Riku knows he blames himself. Riku always knows.

"It's really okay, though. It'll be better to see an actual doctor once we're back on the mainland."

Kairi giggles. "How long has it been since you went to one? You must've grown a foot since then!"

Riku rolls his eyes and chuckles. "Yeah, yeah, I get it, I'm a giant."

"Compared to us," Sora whines, and they laugh harder until Mickey comes over to them. Kairi and Sora help Riku to his feet, and he shoots them both an appreciative glance.

"Well, that should do it!" the king says, Goofy and Donald waving from the raft.

"Great. Sorry to make you work, but it's a little too far to swim, especially in the conditions we're in," Sora says.

"Thanks for all your help," Riku says, and Kairi and Sora nod. "But, um... What do we tell our parents?"

It's startling how easy it is to adjust to life back on the islands.

The first week is the hardest- days of his parents checking up on him every ten minutes and asking if he needs food or water or how his bruises are healing. The explanation is the worst part. How is anyone supposed to explain a year and a half long disappearance, especially when no one remembered how it even started. Was that mercy or punishment? Sora wasn't sure.

It turned out Riku did most of the explaining, which shouldn't have surprised Sora. He was always better with adults. Putting together the story without telling their parents too much was the difficult part. Apparently, the last anyone saw of them was a sudden hurricane on the islands back then, and then two months that everyone was only vaguely aware of. Kairi didn't even fully remember being brought back home, not after closing the first Kingdom Hearts reset the worlds.

The weirdest part is that the beginning of the story Riku launches into is entirely unfamiliar to him. "One day, back when we were really little, this stranger came to the islands from the outside world, like the boy the adults never wanted to talk about went," he explains. "He gave me the power to use this." Riku summons Way to the Dawn briefly before dissolving it, as their parents watch incredulously.

Sora is confused, too. When was this? Why doesn't he remember it? Is this why the Keyblade originally belonged to Riku? He'd have to ask him later.

Telling it all would be a bad idea, Mickey told them earlier, but they had to at least know some of it. With all the plans Xehanort had in place, there was little doubt he was still working to fulfill whatever goals he had, and it was likely they'd have to come back to fight him again. They couldn't just disappear for months at a time again with no explanation.

So, their parents get the short version. Riku explains that after the storm, the key he had had taken them to the outside world, and they'd been lost for a long time while they tried to find their way home. It took a long time for him and Sora to find each other, but they were back.

Thankfully, their parents were too shocked and relieved at their return after eighteen months of hearing nothing from them (Riku's mother even hugged him, which Sora didn't think he'd ever seen her do) that they took the story at face value and didn't ask too many questions. The only pressing one now was where Kairi had been for the last month, to which she answered that she'd "gone looking for them," which made Sora and Riku exchange a look of stifled amusement. No way was anyone going to tell the mayor of her getting briefly kidnapped by a rogue member of an evil organization.

At least not today.

—

The biggest problem is the insane amount of schoolwork to catch up on. Frankly, Sora has forgotten school was even a thing until the third day back, when his mother came into his room with a very thick stack of books and papers, telling him he should probably get started on catching up if he didn't want to fall behind two years.

Which was total torture.

The only good side of all the catch-up work is that Riku was stuck doing it, too. They weren't in all the same classes, but because Sora just managed to squeak his birthday in before the end of the school year in March, he and Riku and Kairi were all in the same grade. Or would have been, if Sora and Riku hadn't missed so much class.

It was a day of catching up a week after they got back, when they were sprawled out together on the floor of Sora's living room, that they noticed the memorial. He'd just finished reading a horribly long and boring chapter of a chemistry book when he noticed something he hadn't seen before. In the far corner of the room there were two unlit candles and several framed photographs of Sora on a tiny table.

"Huh?" he asked, getting to his feet and stretching a little bit before walking over to the table. What was that?

"What is it?" Riku asked him, slowly pulling himself up into a sitting position. It still wasn't easy for him to move around a lot, or even breathe much, so they spent most of their time studying together so that Sora could keep an eye on him. Not that they would stay apart, anyway.

"I think... I think this is a memorial. For me." Sora picked up one of the framed photos, one of him when he was really young, proudly holding out a seashell he'd found. "I think... I think they thought we were dead."

It shouldn't have been surprising, considering the first thing his mother had exclaimed upon seeing him was, "You're alive!" But it still felt unreal, somehow. When he was gone, all he'd thought about was what he had to do. Saving the different worlds, finding Riku again. He'd never even considered more than a year passed without him. He hadn't thought about what his parents might think since he was first in Traverse Town. It made him feel so guilty.

One look at Riku told him the other felt even guiltier, and Sora could guess why. No matter how much he wanted to argue, and would argue, the islands falling to darkness was brought on by him. He'd made his mother think he was dead, made Sora's mother and father worry about him constantly, and even nearly got Kairi killed, not that she remembered much from that time. Sora doesn't blame him, of course, but there's no real way for him to convey that to him. That his growth and apologies have made up for his mistakes. Riku wouldn't listen.

"I guess they forgot to take it down now that you're back," Riku says, and Sora sighs, setting the picture back down on the table.

"They were so worried. I wish I would've thought about them more while I was gone," he admits, and Riku nods silently.

Sora wonders if Riku's mom had put up any sort of memorial for him.

—

"We're getting close now!"

"We'd be there already if you weren't so slow."

"And I wouldn't be so slow if you weren't so heavy!" Kairi stuck her tongue out at Riku, and he laughed. "It's a lot easier rowing a boat without two bruised boys in it with you, you know."

"Thanks for taking us over here, Kairi," Sora says. He probably could've gone on his own, but it's only been two weeks. As much as he'd like to say he was all better, his entire body was still a little sore.

Kairi turned to face him, flashing her angelic smile. "Of course! We haven't been down here since you got back. Before that, I'm not even sure when I last went."

The boat jostles a little as it bumps the dock, salty water splashing in over the side. Kairi steps out to tie it there as Sora moves to help Riku stand up. She's taken most of it in stride, he notices. They've been telling her bits and pieces of what happened since that day, way back then when they were building that raft to get away, and she just listens intently. Sora wishes she got to really experience those worlds she was sent to while she was unconscious. He's sure she would've loved them.

"Where do we wanna go?" Kairi asks, turning to them with her hands on her hips and a bright smile. It's the easiest part of coming back home, getting to see her everyday. Her smile shines like the sun.

"The usual spot?" Riku asks, and Kairi nods once, Sora shifting to help Riku get down onto the sand from the rocks.

"I can move a little on my own, you know," he says, and Sora and Kairi shoot him both a disbelieving look.

"The key phrase here is 'a little,'" Sora says. "We don't want you collapsing and getting even more hurt."

Riku groans, but he lets Sora hoist him up into a more secure position as they make their way towards the cliff.

Sora didn't even realize how much he'd missed being here until he saw it again. He'd dreamt about it, sure, but it wasn't the same as being there. Home was here, with the salty smell of the ocean and the shade cast by towering palm trees that felt like a balm on sweltering summer days. It was early December now, so the sun didn't beat on them with quite the same intensity, but winter on a tropical island felt pretty similar to all the other seasons.

It was good to be back.

"What are you thinking about?" Riku asked next to him, and Sora snapped out of his reverie, repositioning the boy so he'd be more secure.

"Everything's grown a lot since we were here last," Sora says, pointing to all the bushes and flowers, which are now taller and a little overgrown. They don't have the strong, sweet smell of summer, but they're big and vibrant all the same.

"It's been a while," Riku says, laughing a little. Sora's heart feels a bit lighter when he sees that familiar smile.

"I don't even remember most of it," Sora complains. "I was asleep for a full year!"

"And you're still tired all the time somehow," Riku teases, and Sora uses his free arm to flick him in the head, making him laugh even more.

Kairi's gotten a bit further ahead of them, and is waving from the paopu tree, so they try to hurry and catch up. Sora vaguely registers that they used to race up this way. Now, they're taking it together. He stores that thought for later.

"I bet you've missed the ocean, huh?" Kairi says when she comes within earshot, and she's right.

"You can see it from the mainland, but it's just not the same. Here it's clear forever," Sora says, setting Riku down gently in the sand and sitting next to him, patting the ground for Kairi to join them.

"Mm-hmm," she nods, following suit. She rests her head against the tree and her cherry-red hair flows in the cool wind. "It'd be nice to see other places, though, too. Where'd we leave off at?"

"Hmm, the Land of Dragons, I think," Sora says.

"I'm pretty sure it snows in those mountains even in summer," Riku says.

"I can't even imagine!" Kairi exclaims. "That's too cold."

"It was pretty cold when Riku fought me up on that mountain for no reason," Sora says, shooting Riku an accusatory glance.

He looks down apologetically. "Sorry about that," he says, and Sora laughs.

"It's no problem. Really I was just glad to see you at all." And the slight pink of Riku's cheeks is a nice reward for his statement, making them both go quiet for a minute.

"So," Kairi says, filling the silence, "tell me about the Land of Dragons. Were there really dragons?" She looks at them excitedly, blue eyes seeming to sparkle, and they launch into another chapter of the story she missed, laughing and interjecting at points and trying to mend the timeline of their two visits.

It almost feels like old times.

—

They've been sleeping all together a lot lately. When you're away from the people you love the most for so long, keeping them close seems like the best way to make up for it. Especially after being in the darkness.

Usually it's just Riku, the two of them sprawled out or curled up on Sora's floor with the window wide open to let in the sea breeze. Even with the eighteen-month disappearance, Riku's mom doesn't spend her time checking up to see where he is. She's always been busy, and a little distant. She knows he's around, and that's enough. Kairi isn't so lucky, and her adoptive parents are always worried she'll go missing again, but if they're lucky, and her parents are busy working, she'll quietly climb up and through the open window in the middle of the night, with a little thud when she hits the ground.

It's a night like this that Sora wakes up halfway through, blinking slowly a couple times. It's still almost pitch-black outside, and he guesses it's probably around 3 am. He considers going back to sleep when he hears hushed voices from the corner.

There's a hiss in pain, and a frantic, "Sorry!"

"It's okay. If anything, I should be apologizing to you. For more than just waking you up," a lower voice says, and Sora shifts so he can watch Riku and Kairi a bit better. They're sitting next to each other, one of Kairi's hands holding ice to Riku's broken ribs. They're mending slowly.

"It's awful that you can't sleep well because of these," Kairi says, giving Riku a pitiful look.

"I'd rather be woken up by this than nightmares," Riku says, and Kairi places her free hand over Riku's on the floor, giving it a light squeeze.

"You've had a hard time," she says. "Harder than you let on."

"I don't want people to worry about me. I caused the pain I feel. It was me who opened that door off the islands, and me who entered the darkness, and me who hurt you." He looks pointedly at Sora, not noticing his half-open eyes. "Both of you."

"Hmm. Maybe," Kairi says thoughtfully. "But I think you take on too much of that weight yourself. I know you didn't mean to hurt me, or Sora. And you tried to fix it. This guy, Ansem - or Xehanort? - he manipulated you, but you were stronger than him. You were stronger because you had people who believed in you. And they can help you shoulder this burden."

Riku is silent for a second, then sighs. He gives Kairi a smile, a little sad, Sora thinks, but also a little hopeful. "I have you. Both of you."

"You have us," Kairi says, and Sora turns over on his pillow, falling back asleep.

—

"School is terrible, and I would rather be fighting off Heartless."

"Come on, Sora. It's not that bad."

"We've been here for a month and done almost nothing but read textbooks and write essays and solve math problems! I'm tired of this."

"You're overreacting," Riku says, picking up the empty plate from Sora's lunch and stacking it on his own, bringing them both into the kitchen just off the living room to rinse.

"Hey, be careful!" Sora calls out, earning an eye roll.

"Washing a few dishes isn't going to break me," Riku says, and dries off the plates, putting them on the counter. Sora's parents loved that Riku did that. Sora's parents loved Riku in general. He was a 'perfect house guest.'

"Yeah, still," Sora says weakly. He knows Riku can take care of himself, but he also knows that sometimes he doesn't. So he looks out for his best friend. "Do you wanna go do something?"

"We're really supposed to be studying," Riku says, but there's no heart in it.

"We've been studying for four hours with no breaks. I think it's okay if we take some time off." Sora bounces up off the floor, scattering some papers around his feet on his way to the wide windows. Forget geometric formulas. He's had enough proofs for today.

"What would you wanna do?" Riku asks him, sitting against the wall with his legs pulled up to his chest.

"Let's go down to the water," Sora says.

"I half-expected you to say play video games," Riku laughs, picking himself up and walking towards Sora at the windows. "It's a little cold outside."

"I don't mind. Do you?" Riku shakes his head. "Great."

And he grabs his best friend's hand in his own and almost pulls him out the back door and into the yard, past the tiny gate on the tiny fence. That fence had always been an unwelcome barrier between himself and the ocean.

The path down to the beach is short, maybe a two minute walk. Soon, they're sitting in the sand; cold salty air hitting their faces. Sora takes off his shoes and stretches his legs out into the water, closing his eyes and sighing contentedly.

"I love the ocean. I never wanna leave."

There's a beat before Riku responds. "Me neither."

Sora turns to him, eyes wide and a little curious. "Not anymore? What happened to 'traveling beyond this tiny place'?"

Riku shrugs, leaning forward to pick up a little starfish from the water and let it wriggle in his hand. The tips of his long silver hair fall into the seawater. "Maybe I'd like to leave for a little while. I'd like to see some of the places I didn't really get to before. Not to antagonize them this time. But," he puts the starfish back in the sand, leaning his head back into the breeze, "I'd like to be able to come back home to this."

"I get what you mean," Sora says, smiling. "You know what else is great about the islands?"

Riku opens his eyes to look at him, head cocked slightly to one side in askance. He looks almost comically unarmed. Perfect.

"There's plenty of water for me to splash you with!" Sora says, hitting the ocean to spray into Riku's face. His nose scrunches up and he smirks.

"Oh, you're on!"

When they come back, soaked and laughing, Sora's dad is there waiting inside.

"What happened to studying this afternoon?" he asks, a hint of amusement on his face.

Sora's still trying to fight off a smile as he responds. "After a few hours we went bored and went down to the beach."

His father sighs, disappearing down the hall and returning with two towels. He tosses them to the boys. "At least dry off before you come back inside. You don't wanna get all your books wet."

And later, when they're back to poring over notes on literature, Sora looks up to see Riku smiling at him. He grins back.

—

"I think, in another life, you were a fish," Kairi asserts when Sora comes up for air, sticking his head above the water and pulling himself up into the dock. He sits down next to her, shaking out his hair like a dog. She squeals and hits him, and they laugh.

They've been swimming on the play island all day. Sora's wrinkly and cold, but he doesn't care that much. Riku was busy taking care of his house, doing responsible things Sora wouldn't want to, but it's okay. He's glad to hang out with Kairi, just the two of them. He hasn't been able to talk to her in what feels like forever.

"In Atlantica, I get to be. Well, at least part-fish."

"I'm so jealous you got to be a mermaid," Kairi whines.

"You'd love it there," he says, and she hits him playfully on the arm. "No, really. I wish you'd get to meet Ariel. You'd love her. She has this amazing collection of things she's found from all over the world, and she loves music, too."

"She sounds great," Kairi says dreamily. "I'd love to have been there with you." She snorts. "It's still funny to imagine you as a mermaid."

"Mer-man," Sora says. "I was majestic," he says playfully, striking a strong pose. Kairi keels over in giggles.

"I wonder what Riku would look like as a mermaid. He'd probably be so grumpy," she says, and the two of them picture it, laughing so hard they fall back on the dock.

"That's one place he hasn't been, either," Sora says after they straighten themselves up and are finally breathing normally. "Maybe I could show you."

Kairi looks into the distance wistfully. "You know, I never really dreamt of leaving here until I already had. I've apparently been to so many places, but I can't remember any of it. I remember Traverse Town, just a little bit, but it's still kind of fuzzy. Everywhere else is blank, though." She sighs. "I wish I'd been able to go see new places like you two."

"You will," Sora says confidently, and he believes it, too. "You've used a Keyblade, right? Back in The World That Never Was?"

Kairi nods. "Yeah, Riku handed it to me. It felt weird to fight with, but kinda natural."

"Well," Sora says, "I bet that you'll get to do it again. The worlds can always use more saviors, right? And no one's better qualified than you. If Yen Sid can't see that, I'll teach you to use and and we'll explore ourselves."

Kairi looks up at him and smiles, waving her feet through the water. "That's nice, but shouldn't you master it yourself first?" she teases, and Sora splashes water at her.

"Rude! I'll have you know I'm very talented with the Keyblade!" he says, and she laughs.

"Yeah, I know," she says, smiling at him. Talking with Kairi always felt like this. Natural, safe, warm. He's glad he gets to be back here with her again. "For now, though, I guess I'm okay staying here. Especially now that you're both home with me."

"Next time we have to go somewhere, we'll take you with us," Sora promises, and together they watch the setting sun send rays of orange and yellow and red through the water.

—

The air is about as cold as it gets on their island, a crisp sixty degrees with moderate gusts of winds. Riku's arm rests over his shoulder as they walk along the breezy streets, less of a necessary support now and more of a casual gesture. Kairi skips along on Sora's other side, pointing at a shop windows as they pass.

"How cute!" she exclaims, gesturing to a tiny model Santa with reindeer, suspended to look like they're flying above the snow. Even though only the mountaintops on the larger islands actually get snow, the picture of a white Christmas is still plastered all over town.

"You know, he actually does look a lot like that," Sora says, feeling maybe just a little smug about knowing what they don't.

"I still can't believe you've met Santa Claus," Riku says incredulously. "And he actually exists."

"I can't believe you were on the naughty list because you believed Riku when he said Santa didn't exist," Kairi says, nudging Sora's ribs with her elbow. She and Riku laugh as Sora swats her off.

"I was eight! It's not my fault I believed Riku back then!" he protests, and they laugh harder.

The streets are bustling with people, the clatter of shoes on pavement and the rustle of bags filling the air. Sora loves Christmas, he always has. Christmas Town was great, almost dreamy, but he liked it even better to be home when it came around. The familiar throngs of people moving through the streets of markets and din of Christmas music coming through speakers from shops made him feel at ease.

"I think I have about everything I needed," Kairi says, rustling through tissue paper in bags and checking the contents. "Any more stops before we head home?"

"The bookstore?" Riku suggests, and Kairi laughs.

"I thought you'd say that. Come on," she says, and they follow her to the sprawling library at the end of the street.

Sora hadn't ever been a huge reader, but he did like adventure stories when he was younger. How much would reading about them compare to having lived through them now? Riku, on the other hand, read avariciously. He could speed through books in a day if you let him. Sora had no idea how he could stomach taking in so many words after all the textbooks they'd been cramming the last six weeks, but Riku would still spend free time flipping through old novels.

Stepping inside the store instantly took him back to the Beast's Castle, with its massive looming walls full of books, spiraling staircases up to lounge areas and sun shining brightly through the window. Belle had shown it to him on a visit back to check on them all before everything had happened, and he was in awe. Even for someone who wasn't a big reader, the library was amazing. It seemed like someplace you'd lose track of time in and stay for hours longer than you meant to. Especially if you were Riku.

The walls like that were tall and covered with books, here, too. There were shelves full of old leather volumes and new paperbacks lining up to the ceiling, more shelves winding through, and some plush chairs interspersed throughout. Riku shoots them an apologetic look and hurries off to one side. "I'll be back in a minute," he says, and Kairi giggles.

"We'll be just outside," she says, and they walk back out the front door, leaning on the side of the building.

"Looking at so many books at once exhausts me," Sora sighs, and Kairi laughs.

"Of course it does, you lazybones."

"I just don't get how he can read so much when we already have to read for school!"

Kairi gives him a sage look and shrugs. "Riku is beyond our comprehension or understanding," she says, and Sora laughs.

The boy in question hurries outside a second later, holding a small stack of books in his hands. "Sorry for holding you up," he says, looking a little embarrassed. Maybe he knows they were teasing him.

"It's no big deal," Sora says, shooting him a grin. "It's not like we didn't drag you to look at every trinket shop here."

"Besides," Kairi adds, "what are best friends for?" She grins at Riku and he smiles back, and they make they way down the crowded streets together. "Hey, how much more schoolwork do you have to do today? If it's not a lot, we could go back to my house and watch a movie or something."

"Yes, please!" Sora says, grimacing at the thought of returning to history.

Riku rolls his eyes at him and smirks. "Of course Sora would say yes. But... I think we're good for today."

"Great!" Kairi says.

They end up watching some Christmas classic, all sprawled out on the floor at Kairi's. She's only half paying attention, a sketchbook on the ground in front of her she doodles in as they watch. She's been drawing more lately, and he can't help but wonder if it's because of Naminé.

"This is kind of predictable," Riku says, and Sora looks up from where his head is on Riku's lap, fidgeting with his fingers. "I know they're not actually going to leave."

"I think it's sweet," Kairi says, looking up from her drawing to watch the screen. "The song always makes me cry."

"Mm, I like it," Sora says, and Riku turns to look down at him. "It's nice to see them all happy and together and home."

"Exactly!" Kairi says, smiling widely at him, and Riku shakes his head.

"I guess it's not so bad," he says, and Sora grins.

—

Sora wakes up to the sound of shallow, panicked breaths. The moon is filtering in through the window, lighting up the room just enough so he can see Riku a couple feet away, curled in on himself and panting.

He gets up immediately, reaching a hand out for Riku's hand. He startles at the touch, recoiling a little, but then aquamarine eyes meet Sora's own blue ones, and Riku's breathing slows a little. The hand in Sora's own is clammy, and he squeezes slightly. It's horrible to see Riku like this, Riku, who's supposed to be the strong one. Riku falling apart and there not being anything Sora can do to help him.

"Ansem," Riku starts. "I was in the dark, and Ansem-"

"It's okay," Sora says, pulling Riku closer to himself and holding on. He's easier to hug now without the broken ribs, and he only has to be a little bit gentle about it. "He isn't here."

"The darkness is still inside me," Riku says, and he gives Sora a panicked look, tears brimming in his eyes. "I can't get rid of it. Sometimes I think I have it under control but then it..."

"It's okay," Sora repeats, putting a hand on the back of Riku's head and pulling him down onto his shoulder, his other arm wrapped tightly around Riku's middle. "Ansem is gone, and so is Xemnas. We aren't in the darkness anymore, and whatever darkness is in you... it's just a part of you. We all have some in us. You're better at dealing with yours than most people are."

Riku's arms come up around Sora's waist, and he holds onto his best friend tightly, his long silver hair tickling Sora's cheek. They sit like that silently for a minute, before Sora speaks again. "I know how it feels. It's hard to go to sleep sometimes. I feel like I'm trapped and I'm all alone and I'm never going to wake up. I missed so much before. What if I don't make it home next time?"

Riku's breathing slows as he untangles himself from Sora, moving his hands from Sora's waist to his cheeks. He looks at Sora solemnly, eyes still a little red. "You will. I'll make sure you do. You'll always make it back here."

Sora lets a tear run down his own face as he nods, and buries his face in Riku's chest. "You will, too. I won't let you be on your own," he says, and he can feel Riku's shuddering breath. "I'm tired."

"Okay," Riku says, pulling a pillow up behind him and grabbing Sora's blanket, pulling it over both of them. Sora doesn't let go of Riku as they shift to be lying down.

They fall asleep like that, Sora nestled in Riku's chest, strong arms tightly around him as he hugs back. After being in the darkness, it's nice to have a reminder that someone's there beside him.

Riku always makes him feel more safe. He hopes his best friend could say the same about him.

—

The moon is making its way down towards the water, the sun rising slowly in the opposite direction to take its place. They've been out here all night, wanting to watch the sun rise on the New Year. Sometimes the waves push the water just up to where they're sitting, only to be pulled back in by the current. It's peaceful, and Sora can't help but feel a little fidgety.

Kairi picks up a shell by her feet and carefully scraps out the wet sand with her fingers, holding it up to her ear. She smiles, satisfied. "You can still hear the ocean."

"You sure it isn't just the sounds all around us?" he asks, laughing. Kairi's presence calms him a little. Cools the fighting instincts in him.

She giggles, shrugging her dainty shoulders. "Maybe. I like to think it isn't, though."

She leans to put the shell back in the sand, and Riku's head falls down her shoulder. He'd fallen asleep a while ago, leaning slightly into Kairi. Despite wanting to tease him for all the grief he gives them about dozing off, they don't wake him up. It's pretty cute to see him so unguarded, and he deserves the rest.

Kairi looks up at the falling moon and sighs through her nose. "I should probably head back home, now. My parents will get worried." She gently shakes Riku's arm, and he sits up, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. "I'm gonna go now, but you should stay here," she says, smiling at them. "It's a beautiful sunrise."

Riku murmurs acknowledgment and stretches his arms as Kairi walks off, sending them a wave. They wave back at her retreating silhouette.

When she's gone, Riku turns to Sora, shaking his head and blinking. "Did I fall asleep on her?"

"Yep," Sora says, trying to hold in a laugh. "Who's the lazy one, now?"

Riku smirks and rolls his eyes. "Gimme a break. It's still you."

Sora hits his arm and they laugh quietly. Kairi was right- the sun is just starting to ascend, casting blue light off the water and all around them in the dark.

"It really is beautiful," Sora says, and Riku nods agreement.

The younger boy leans back, propping himself on outstretched arms. The soft sand that falls through your fingers, the sun warm on your back, the sparkle of the water and the fell of ripening fruit- it's good. Familiar. Homely. But alone it's incomplete.

"I couldn't come back without you, you know," Sora says to him, breathing in the salty air deeply. "It wouldn't be the same."

Riku's mouth opens a little bit, eyes wide as he processes what Sora says. He looks down at the ground contemplatively. "It's home, but... I still don't feel like I'm worthy of it. I destroyed this place trying to get out of here."

And there's that dumb argument again. Of course Riku deserves to be happy. Everyone does. Especially someone who spent so long beating himself up over one idiotic mistake.

"Yeah, whatever," Sora says, and Riku looks at him, shocked and confused. "Maybe you don't think you deserve it, but this is home. Everyone deserves to have a home to come back to. And you tried to hard to fix what you did, or really, what Ansem or Xehanort or whoever it was got you to do, that I think you've more than made up for it." Sora sighs, giving Riku a smile. "And maybe it's not about deserving. Maybe it's just because I want you to be here with me."

"You sure you want that?" Riku asks, and Sora rolls his eyes.

"Your ribs feeling better from that hit you took for me?" he asks, and Riku shuts up.

They're quiet for a few minutes, watching the light trickle upwards into the sky, illuminating it into a million shades of blue and purple and pink, red and a yellow that reminds Sora of Riku.

"You know," Sora says slowly, not taking his eyes off the horizon, "I never got to thank you for that."

"For what?" Riku asks, and they turn to each other.

"Saving me. You've done it so many times and I've never said thank you." Sora takes in Riku's appearance, his long messy hair and his slightly pink skin from being out in the sun lately, his clothes disheveled and sandy, and it all makes sense now.

"After everything you went through to find me, and how you brought me back to the light," Riku starts, tucking a hand behind his ear. He's cute when he's embarrassed. Hell, he's always cute. "I'd do it again, no question."

Sora leans over and bumps Riku's shoulder with his own, smiling. "I'd like it better if it didn't meant you breaking your ribs. I don't like seeing you get hurt, especially not for me."

"Yeah, okay," Riku says, looking down at the short distance between them. Sora's head is almost resting on his shoulder now, and they both go a little red in the face. This really shouldn't be as embarrassing as it is.

"You mean a lot to me," Sora blurts out, and Riku draws back a little bewildered. Okay, no, wrong way to start. "What I mean to say is..."

Sora searches for words. How do you even start this conversation? Kairi had told him out of the blue the other day to be honest to Riku, but he isn't sure this is even what she was talking about. She could be pretty cryptic, sometimes.

"When I was going to every world," he starts, "looking for you, I felt lost. Like every place I went to I hoped to somehow see you there. I'd see something and want to tell you about it, but I couldn't and it... it really hurt. And when I you told me that you didn't want me to find you, that hurt too."

"Sora-" Riku says, but Sora cuts him off.

"It hurt, but I know why you felt so alone. I just wish that you didn't have to, because you aren't. You have Mickey and Kairi... and you have me. You'll always..." Sora trails off, rubbing his nose. "You'll always have me."

"Oh," is all Riku says, bright eyes softening as he looks at Sora, and he can feel his heart flutter. The sun is making its slow way up into the sky, and everything seems to be glowing in rosy colors.

"I'm in love with you," Riku breathes, and Sora feels like the world stops turning. He looks at Riku, looks at his best friend, the one he was always jealous of for being so strong and so brave, and Riku looks back at him, biting his lip. "I think I always have been. I was so stupid back then and then when you found me again, and you cried for me... I felt like I didn't deserve to love you. But maybe," he says, echoing Sora's words from earlier with a hopeful little smile, "it's not about deserving."

Sora can't help himself. He grins so hard he laughs, throwing his arms around Riku and burying his head in Riku's long silver hair. Riku laughs, too, and it's Sora's favorite noise in the world. You'd never believe it was so light, so deliriously happy. Sora pulls back to look at his best friend.

"I love you," Sora says, and the little delighted, affectionate smile Riku gives him is the most beautiful thing he's ever seen. He holds Riku's face in his hands, pressing their noses together. "I love you. I love you."

He can feel Riku's sigh of relief and they're so close- god they're so close. If he just leaned up-

"Can I kiss you?" Sora asks.

Riku looks a little taken aback, eyes sparkling back the pink of the sky and it's the whole world to Sora. "Of course," he breathes, and so Sora does.

When their lips meet, it's like fireworks going off inside Sora's heart. That's what he'd been missing the time he was away. Riku being here, Riku being close, Riku being alive and safe and Sora kisses him like he's a precious treasure he doesn't want to break. He's everything to Sora, even if he doesn't know it. When they break apart, Sora's eyes are still closed, melting in the feeling of kissing his best friend.

"I love you," he says reflexively, and Riku puts a hand on his face, breath almost choking, and kisses him again.

Riku is sweet and gentle and soft and tastes vaguely like vanilla and Sora wants nothing more than to kiss him for the rest of his life, convince him that he deserves it, that he deserves everything.

When Riku pulls back, he's starts laughing, tears in the corner of his eyes, and Sora grabs his hands. "What is it?" he asks.

Riku squeezes the hand in his own, smiling with more affection than Sora's heart can bear. "I love you," he chokes out, and Sora grins at him. "And I think we're never going to hear the end of it from Kairi."

They laugh with abandon, turning to face the sun, now casting soft golden light through the water. "I think she already knows. Kairi knows everything."

"Then we can wait to go back and tell her?" Riku asks, and it's cute and embarrassed and soft and Sora would say yes to whatever question he asked right then.

"Yeah," he says, entwining his fingers with Riku's. "We can go back later. I wanna watch the sunrise with you."

So, hand-in-hand, splashed gently by the waves on the shore, they do.

AN: I really love these characters, so much, and I hope I did them justice! Special thanks to my big sis, who played the series with me recently for the first time and helps inspire my fics (we're both drowning in love for soriku) AND does my beta-reading for me.

Please let me know what you think! Favorites and comments make my day :)


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